Criteria for Web Site Evaluation Currency/Updating How current is the site? Is there a creation date? Health and medical information needs to be current. How often is it updated? Is there a revision date? Check revision date for currency. Purpose/Audience What is the purpose of the site? Does the site propose to educate, train, or inform? Who is the audience? General, adults, children, college students? Is the purpose stated? Are there any “hidden agendas” of the site? Are the authors trying to promote a specific agenda? Bias/Objectivity Is the information objective? Do the authors cite references from authoritative sources? Are there any obvious biases? Is the author on a crusade or trying to promote a specific idea or cause? Is there advertising? Does this advertising overpower the site? Does it influence or overshadow the content? Author/Publisher/Authority Does the author’s name appear on the site? Who is the author, what are his/her credentials? Is the author well know in his field? Is the author associated with a reputable institution or agency? Is there an email address on the site for contacting him/her? If the site is not published by an individual, what organization or agency publishes the site? Is the publisher a reputable organization? Was the site produced by a government agency, well known organization, or by a university? Who maintains the site? Who is funding the site: drug company, US government, not for profit organization, etc.? Scope What is the breath, depth of the site? Does the site present an overview or cover a topic in-depth? Accuracy/Relevance Is it possible to determine the accuracy or relevance of the information? Is the information error free? Can the information be verified by other sources? Does the author provide references? Design/Format/Structure How usable is the site?Is it well organized? How fast does the site load? Do images load in a reasonable time frame? Can you search the site with keywords? Is the site full of graphics with little textual information? Are there frames or features which may not load on all computers? Is there a table of contents or index for the site? Uniqueness/Stability How long has the site existed? Has it remained stable during that time? Is the information unique or can the information be found elsewhere? Reviews/Ratings/Writing Has the site been reviewed? What is the quality of the writing on the site? Is there correct use of grammar and are words spelled correctly? Links Does the site contain useful links? How does the site choose the links? How do they evaluate sites? Are most of the links current or are there many “dead” links?